“Brendan was an inspiration for all those fortunate enough to have crossed his path. It was my great privilege and pleasure to host him twice in Buffalo, N.Y. as emissary for the Irish American Writers and Artists network,” commented Irish Echo publisher Máirtín Ó Muilleoir upon the news of the death of Brendan Costello Jr.
“On the first occasion in ‘23, we discovered — too late — that our ‘pop-up’ venue in the city’s not-yet-restored Statler building was at least a century behind the times when it came to wheelchair access,” he added. “Afterwards, I called Brendan to apologize and found him more gracious and forgiving than we deserved.
“So it was a pleasure to welcome him back to Buffalo in 2024 to be among our Heroes of Irish American honorees at the Buffalo Convention Center,” Ó Muilleoir said. “There were a lot of worthy recipients on the night but none more deserving of the appellation ‘hero’ than him. Suaimhneas i measc scríbhneoirí Éireann go raibh aige.”
For a collection a six short tributes, “What the world lost,” see here; For an essay by former IAW&A president Maria Deasy, see here; and the obituary with funeral details, see here.
